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OPINION

Life imitates art for local author in Conejo dispute

Woody Woodburn, Columnist
Published 6:00 a.m. PT Feb. 9, 2018

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Scott Harris, of Mustang Marketing, receives a standing ovation by some in the audience after addressing the Conejo school board.(Photo: JOE LUMAYA/SPECIAL TO THE STAR)Buy Photo

Western novels do not enjoy the widespread popularity they did in the mid-20th century, when Louis L’Amour was riding high in the author saddle. Still, the genre retains a loyal following.

Part of the appeal of “frontier stories,” as L’Amour called them, is they offer an escape from a confusing gray world by providing fictional black-and-white-hat clarity; good guys and bad guys; right vs. wrong.

And, of course, frontier stories offer a hero.

Such is the case with “Coyote Courage,” the first in a trilogy — followed by “Coyote Creek” and “Coyote Canyon” — written by Thousand Oaks resident Scott Harris.

The hero in the “Coyote” series is Brock Clemons, the last name inspired by the author’s admiration for Samuel Clemens, better know by his pen name Mark Twain.

Brock also bears inspiration from Harris, although the author declines any similarities beyond their shared affinity for whiskey and cigars. Because I know Harris as a friend, I know he is being modest. He and Brock also share core values of truth and honesty, fair play and chivalry.

Two weeks ago, life imitated art when Harris found himself in a Brock-like plot. Conejo Valley Unified School District board member Mike Dunn sent an email to Harris threatening to harm the reputation of his business, Mustang Marketing, if he did not silence employee Jessica Weihe. As a parent, Weihe had criticized Dunn.

That has me on the same page with Weihe. I took Dunn to task in July for his role in not approving for the ninth-grade core literature list — thus effectively banning — Sherman Alexie’s award-winning young adult novel “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,” or PTI for short.

Unbelievably and irresponsibly, Dunn “banned” (would not approve) PTI despite admitting he had not read it. I did read it and it is terrific — well worthy of high school students’ study and discussion. In Ventura County especially, where we have racial and economic diversity, PTI’s themes are of paramount relevance and importance for our youth.

As for violence and sex — “pornographic” is the word Dunn employed, and wrongly in disparaging PTI — the novel is tamer than most prime-time sitcoms on network television today. Every newscast and newspaper features more violence than this novel.

Suggestion: A school district’s “opt-out” policy from reading an assigned novel should include the requirement that one of the student’s parents first read the book — and answer a worksheet to ensure they did — so they do not make such a decision blindly.

Certainly Dunn would have been wise to read “Coyote Courage” before picking a fight with Weihe. Had Dunn done so, he might have anticipated that Weihe’s boss would stand up Brock-like to a bully on her behalf.

Not only in name but also in character is Brock Clemons inspired by Mark Twain, who said: “It is a worthy thing to fight for one’s freedom; it is another to fight for another man’s.”

Brock does just that in “Coyote Courage,” fighting to save the town from outlaws. He does not do so alone — he rallies the townspeople in Dry Springs to stand up with him.

In Conejo, “Brock”— Scott Harris — fought for the First Amendment. He, too, did not do so alone — he rallied the community. The result this week was the censure of Dunn by the school board on a 4-0 vote.

The title of Harris’ debut novel refers to a coyote’s trait of attacking anything weaker than it is. Or, if the foe is larger and stronger, coyotes will attack only if they have the adversary greatly outnumbered. Hence, to have the courage of a coyote is to cowardly avoid a fair fight.

Life imitates art: When the fight came Tuesday evening at the school board meeting, Dunn was a no-show.

Email Woody Woodburn at WoodyWriter@gmail.com. His books are available at www.WoodyWoodburn.com.